Roses and Thorns: Bucking the Broncos -- Back in the Saddle

NCHC Standings:
1) UND, 13-2-1-1 -- 41 points; 2) SCSU, 12-3-1-1 -- 38 pts;
3) DU, 9-5-2 -- 29 pts; T-4) UNO, 6-9-1 -- 19 pts;
T-4) UMD, 5-8-3-1 -- 19 pts; T-4) 5-9-2-2 -- 19 pts;
7) WMU, 4-11-1-1 -- 14 pts; 8) CC, 4-11-1, 13 pts.

Simply put, it wasn't pretty, but at this time of year, it's not about style points and the Green and White are back in the saddle, again.

In what was likely the most physical and gritty series they've played this season, the No. 2 UND men's hockey team took care of business against the Western Michigan Broncos, winning 2-0 and 2-1, earning an important National Collegiate Hockey Conference sweep. That sweep vaults the Green and White past St. Cloud State into first place in the race for the Penrose Cup.

UND was again without a pair of Hobey Baker candidates in Drake Caggiula and Nick Schmaltz due to injury, and it was their CBS linemate, freshman Brock Boeser, leading the way. The Burnsville, Minn., native scored both game-winning goals in the series, potting two on Friday and adding a goal and an assist on Saturday for a four-point weekend, earning NCHC rookie of the week honors for the fourth time this year.

The heavy and fast attack by WMU made goals a premium this past weekend as the Green and White slugged it out at Lawson Arena. While Boeser lead the way offensively, UND sophomore netminder Cam Johnson stole the show defensively. Johnson stopped 59 of 60 Bronco shots in the series, earning NCHC goalie of the week honors for an impressive fifth time on the season.

With just four regular season series left, the Green and White (23-3-3 overall, 13-2-1-1-- 41 points NCHC) leads SCSU by three points and control their own destiny in the race for the Penrose.

Here's what stood out to the DDC in his weekly Roses and Thorns series recap.

Roses

No. 1 -- Cam Johnson

UND So. G, Cam Johnson
stopped 59 of 60 shots
against WMU, earning
NCHC goalie of the week
honors for the 5th time
this season.

UND was without two Hobey Baker candidates and two more forwards (Chris Wilkie and Rhett Gardner) on Friday night and saw two of their best defensemen (Troy Stecher and Tucker Poolman) go down with injuries on Saturday. With players of that ilk on the shelf (Poolman returned later in the game on Saturday) the Green and White turned to the steady hand of Johnson and the sophomore again stepped up large. Johnson shook off a less than stellar series against Colorado College the previous week and took control of large stretches of both games against Western Michigan. Johnson dazzled throughout and weathered a storm of 17 Bronco shots in the second period on Friday with tremendous rebound control and poise. The sophomore's stellar weekend kept Johnson atop the NCAA goaltending statistical world. If there were any questions of Johnson's starting status coming into Kalamazoo, he certainly answered them all, emphatically. It's Cam's net, from here on out.

No. 2 -- Brock Boeser 

What an impressive run this kid has been on. Boeser again led UND with his linemates out, delivering game winners on both nights. The freshman is now tied for the NCHC lead in goals with 18 and puts himself in the company of UND legends T.J. Oshie and Jonathan Toews, finding the back of the net the most times as a freshman since the duo tore up the college hockey world in 2005-06. Boeser is now second nationally among rookies in goals and third in points (31). A special blend of speed, physicality, defensive effort and goal scoring, Boeser is the real deal.

No. 3 -- Finding a Way to Win

UND head coach Brad Berry
after their 2-1 win on Saturday:
"I said to our guys in the locker room
that we have a really special group in
our team this year, to the point where
it doesn't matter who is in the lineup,
we find a way to win. That goes to our
mentality at North Dakota and
the players and their character."

As already stated, this wasn't a pretty weekend. Five total goals were a product of a physical, but incredibly up-tempo series. Western Michigan challenged UND with a banging style of play that they have yet to see this season and the Green and White were up to the task. DDC has mentioned it several times in this post alone, but it absolutely cannot be undersold -- UND was very banged up this weekend and the Broncos continued to bang. To go into Lawson Arena in front of a rowdy and hostile crowd and come out with a sweep is an impressive feat. The Green and White have now shown the ability to win in every way possible. Whether it's run and gun or grinding, UND has gotten it done, this season. Down the stretch, defenses will show their meddle and this weekend was an important one to show they have the ability to win these types of games when the lights are the brightest.

Thorns

No. 1 -- Injuries

Seriously? This is getting a wee bit ridiculous. Add defenseman Troy Stecher, arguably UND's best blue liner, to the injury report. The Green and White are off this coming weekend and it could not have come at a better time. Up next is Denver in two weeks and with the race for the Penrose in full form, UND needs to be healthy if they plan on repeating as NCHC regular season champs.

Thanks for reading. More to come, soon.

Roses and Thorns: Bouncing Back for a Split

NCHC Standings:
1) SCSU, 10-3-1-1 -- 32 points; 2) UND, 10-2-0 -- 30 pts;
3) DU, 6-4-2 -- 20 pts; 4) UMD, 5-6-3-1 -- 19 pts:
5) UNO, 5-6-1 -- 16 pts; 6) WMU, 4-7-1-1 -- 14 pts;
7) Miami, 2-8-2-2 -- 10 pts; 8) CC, 3-9-0 -- 9 pts.

Simply put, the UND men's hockey team hasn't faced much adversity up to this point of the season.

Coming into this past weekend's series with Nebraska Omaha, the Green and White were 18-2-2 and were rolling with a 8-game unbeaten streak, having not lost a game at home in over two months.

That all changed on Friday night when Mavericks forward Austin Ortega potted his NCAA-best 7th game-winning goal in overtime, giving UNO a 4-3 win in front of a shocked Ralph Engelstad Arena crowd.

Faced with the possibility of being swept at home against a National Collegiate Hockey Conference rival, UND responded on Saturday night as it has done 18 out of the last 19 times following a loss since 2013, with a dominant 5-1 win and an important NCHC split.

Here's what stood out to DDC in his weekly Roses and Thorns series recap with Nebraska Omaha.

Roses

No. 1 -- Coltyn Sanderson

After being a healthy scratch on Friday night, Sanderson potted his first-career goal in his 26th game with UND on Saturday night that turned out to be the game winner. DDC has been hard on the Saskatchewan native this season as the senior has fought to be in the lineup on a night-to-night basis, but credit Sanderson's hard work in his UND career for a special moment. It's a tough proposition for a senior to often find himself not in the lineup often, but Sanderson's character has never been in question for the Green and White. Truly a lunch pail type player, it was fun seeing No. 26 finally find the back of the net. Props to you, Coltyn. You deserve it.

UND swarms Coltyn Sanderson (center) after the senior notched his first-career
goal on Saturday night in a 5-1 win. (Photo credit: Grand Forks Herald)

No. 2 -- Special Teams

Despite giving up a power play goal for the first time in 30 chances down a man with UNO's only goal on Saturday night, UND's penalty kill was once again sterling this weekend against a potent offensive attack. The Green and White killed off 8-of-9 UNO power plays this weekend. UND also had a tremendous weekend when on the power play, notching two goals with the extra man in each game in the series, going 4-for-8 with the extra man. In the past eight games, the Green and White leads the NCHC in both power play (28.1%) and penalty killing (96.9%). This is a very important development for UND as both units has struggled at times during the season.

No. 3 -- Troy Stecher

With the high profile CBS line stealing most of the headlines for UND this season, junior defenseman Troy Stecher might very well be the Green and White's best overall player. The B.C. native tallied a goal and an assist in both games of the series to nab NCHC defenseman of the week honors for the second time this season. Stecher was an offensive spark plug all weekend, consistently involving himself in the scoring zone and generating several chances both nights. The defenseman's goal on Friday was special as he drove hard to the net and potted a highlight reel goal while sliding to the ice after being hit. On the defensive end, Stecher blocked three shots on Friday and on Saturday helped lock down UNO's top line of Ortega, Jake Guentzel and Jake Randolph, a trio who tallied 9 points the night before, to just 1 in the series finale. It was a dominant weekend for Stecher who extended his career-high point streak to four.

No. 4 -- Brock Boeser

UND Fr. F, Brock Boeser

While his vaunted CBS linemates had a relatively quiet weekend, Boeser continued to excel. The freshman forward racked up a four-point weekend with a goal and an assist each night, en route to NCHC rookie of the week honors for the third time this season. Boeser struggled a bit early on Friday as the CBS line slowly regained chemistry after not playing together for a month, but potted an important game-tying goal late. On Saturday, Boeser showed off his typical self, ripping home a laser wrist shot to give UND a 3-1 lead to bury the Mavericks. The Burnsville, Minn. native is now tied for the team lead with 15 goals and is second nationally among rookies. He has scored in seven-straight games. The freshman continues to be all the Green and White could have hoped for.

Thorns

No. 1 -- Injuries

After a rocky start to the season on the injury front, UND had found a way to stay pretty healthy to this point in the season. In fact, the Green and White saw senior foward Colten St. Clair in the lineup for the first time this year, on Friday. However, the bug seems to have bitten again as freshman defenseman Christian Wolanin missed both games this weekend while freshman Chris Wilkie missed Saturday night's game. The biggest injury this weekend came to stalwart forward Drake Caggiula after finishing an open-ice check to UNO player led to an apparent shoulder injury. The extent of the injuries are unknown for all three, but Caggiula's clearly looms the largest. The senior has been dominant all season and UND will have a big spot to fill on the top line if he misses extended time.

Thanks for reading and stop back later this week and the Green and White prepares for a home series against the Colorado College Tigers.

Roses and Thorns: Beaten Up, but Still Unbeaten

DDC's first Roses and Thorns column of the 2015-16 season, after UND's 6-2 exhibition win over the Manitoba Bisons earlier in October, had only one thorn -- injuries.

In that column, DDC noted he hoped injuries never made the thorn section again this season.

Welp. So much for that.

The No. 1 UND men's hockey team earned a tie and a win in a non-conference, home-and-home series against Bemidji State, 4-4 on Friday in Bemidji and 5-2 on Saturday in Grand Forks to stay unbeaten on the season at 2-0-2, but certainly had its share of losses.

The Green and White, already down freshman goaltender Matej Tomek and senior forward Colten St. Clair to injuries coming into this past weekend, lost freshman Joel Janatuinen to an apparent concussion and starting goalie Cam Johnson to a leg injury on Friday night.

Johnson's injury led to junior walk-on goaltender Matt Hyrnkiw finishing off Friday's game and getting the start on Saturday, Hrynkiw's first college hockey action in his career.

Hrynkiw struggled a bit on Friday, allowing two goals in the third, but played well on Saturday, to earn his first win for UND.

Here's what else that stood out from this weekend's series.

Roses

No. 1 -- Matt Hrynkiw

DDC was certainly down on the junior after Friday night's tie, as Hrynkiw looked incredibly shaky early on. The netminder allowed a goal on his first shot faced and struggled with rebound control, leaving several chances for Bemidji State. Despite the struggles, Hrynkiw made a couple of really important saves, including one in overtime, to hold on for the tie. The junior came back on Saturday and played well, making 19 saves, including nine in the third period, to pace the UND win. Hrynkiw will likely be back in the net this coming weekend in Vermont and will need to play well behind the Green and White.

UND Fr. F, Brock Boeser notched a hat trick, his first three goals with North
Dakota, in UND's 5-2 win on Saturday. (Photo credit: Grand Forks Herald)

No. 2 -- Brock Boeser, Nick Schmaltz and Drake Caggiula

These three came into this season as possibly, the best three scorers for UND, but did not play together until Saturday night. After a nine point (4g, 5a) performance from that line that saw Boeser notch a hat trick, his first three goals for UND, the Green and White might be hard pressed to break up this line. The trio dominated the Beavers, controlling play and creating chances throughout. With the shaky goaltending situation, North Dakota will more than likely need steady goal scoring. This line absolutely brought that on Saturday night.

No. 3 -- Troy Stecher

The junior defenseman continued his stellar play this weekend, notching the game-winner on Saturday, his first of the year. Stecher was aggressive offensively on the play, pouncing on a loose puck outside of a net-front scrum, potting his goal through heavy traffic. The alternate captain has five points (1g, 4a) on the season and has shown tremendous offensive play all year.

Thorns

No. 1 -- Injuries

UND Jr. G, Matt Hyrnkiw

Ugh. Outside of the aforementioned bumps, UND was also down freshman Shane Gerisch to illness, forcing freshmen Mike Gornall and Christain Wolanin into the lineup on Saturday. Wolanin, a defenseman, played left wing. The Green and White will need to carry a "next man up" mentality going forward, in particular in the nets. Hrynkiw is in the spotlight. He will need to improve to keep this UND team in games until Johnson and Tomek return.

Thanks for reading. Head back later this week as North Dakota prepares to again travel east, taking on the Vermont Catamounts in another important, non-conference series.

A Quick Look Back To Move Forward

It's been 172 days since the University of North Dakota men's hockey team fell 5-3 to the Boston University Terriers on April 9 in the Frozen Four semifinals in Boston.

172 is also the number of times, give or take a dozen or so, that DDC has thought to put into words his thoughts about the way the season ended.

*Swallows hard*

Nope, still can't do it.

So, in lieu of another nervous sweat and bout of nausea, let's move forward a little bit.

It has been 133 days since May 18 when Dave Hakstol left the University of North Dakota men's hockey team to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League. Simultaneously, it has been 133 days since Brad Berry was elevated from assistant coach to head coach of the Green and White.

133 is also the amount of emotions, thoughts and head-scratches that have been brought to DCC since May 18.

Quite the interesting month, wouldn't you say?

It's Berry's Bench

UND first-year head coach
Brad Berry

While the memories of April 9 may ring in many fans minds longer, May 18 is the date that most affects the 2015-16 incarnation of  UND men's hockey.

Let's get one thing straight... in DDC's opinion, Brad Berry is the right man for this job.

The former assistant coach has had success at every level and that means EVERY level. The speedy hiring of Berry limited the shock waves which could have shaken the core of UND down to recruitment and even early departures.

If UND had put any delay in elevating Berry to the head job, instability could have caused recruits to bolt and/or made UND's current roster doubt the direction of the program.

The Green and White brass did the right thing. Keeping on the path of a team that has made back-to-back Frozen Fours and is the defending Penrose Cup champion of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference keeps things going in the right direction.

That being said, Berry steps directly into the spotlight and replaces a legend at UND. You can say whatever you'd like about Dave Hakstol not winning a national championship, but any sane fan of the Green and White knows that Hakstol was the real deal. We've all heard the stats to back that up. The fact that he's now coaching in the NHL shows Hakstol's prowess. It's an extremely rare feat to make the jump from the NCAA ranks to the head spot on a NHL squad.

So, for the first time since 2005, there will be a new head man behind the bench for UND. That alone causes uneasiness for this blogger.

Pair that with the loss of seven seniors, and three others (two, all-world goaltender Zane McIntyre and talented defenseman Jordan Schmaltz, to the pros and one to the budding Arizona State program in Wade Murphy), and you have questions that need to be answered.

Jr. D, Gage Ausmus
was named UND's captain
for the 2015-16 season.

Who's Back?

Despite the losses, UND returns a deep defensive corps, avoiding potential early departures of Troy Stecher, Paul LaDue, Keaton Thompson and Tucker Poolman, all of whom were offered professional contracts over the summer. Gage Ausmus also returns and will captain this year's team.

On the front end, the Green and White return last season's leading goal scorer Drake Caggiula and play-making centerman Nick Schmaltz, softening the blow of the loss of many productive seniors from last year's squad.

Who's Here?

Forward Brock Boeser, a first-round NHL draft pick
Vancouver, looks to make an immediate impact at UND.

Looking to replace the 10 players that left the UND program, the Green and White bring in a group of 10 freshmen that will look to make an immediate impact.

Leading the charge in that potential impact is forward Brock Boeser, a first-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks (23rd overall), and goaltender Matej Tomek, a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers (90th overall).

Boeser, the Burnsville, Minn., native has lit up every level of hockey on his way to Grand Forks and looks to have a much-needed scoring touch for North Dakota.

Tomek, from Slovakia, will push returning goalies Cam Johnson and Matt Hrynkiw right out of the gate and could quickly be the man to fill the gaping hole left by McIntyre in the UND net.

The rest of the class includes talented scorers Chris Wilkie, Shane Gersich and Joel Janatuinen, all of which had 50+ points last year in the USHL. On the blue line, Christian Wolanin had a stellar 41-point year and Hayden Shaw earned first-team honors last season, both in the USHL.

Any Questions?

So, with returning players and impact rookies, the questions seem to be answered, right? Well, only time will tell. We'll get a first glimpse this Saturday as UND takes on Manitoba in an exhibition tussle.

Come back later this week for a look at the rest of the NCHC and a peek at his Top 10 across the country. DDC will reveal his picks for preseason conference honors and where the teams in the country's best conference are coming into this year.

It's good to be back. It's almost time for hockey.

Rose and Thorns: Don't Be a Liar

Raise your hand if you thought UND would be down 4-1 at any point to Lake Superior State this weekend.

Anyone? If your hand is up, you’re a liar.

Despite a stunning first half of the game on Friday that silenced the home crowd at Ralph Engelstad Arena, the No. 1 team in the country showed precisely why they earned that distinction coming into the weekend, ripping off six unanswered goals en route to a crazy 7-4 win.

In the series finale on Saturday, UND’s performance wasn’t its prettiest of the year, but North Dakota took care of business and earned a non-conference sweep with a 3-1 victory over LSSU. 

Here’s what stood out to DDC against the Lakers in this week’s edition of Roses and Thorns:

Roses

No. 1 – Tucker Poolman

Injuries to Drake Caggiula and Colton St. Clair forced the freshman defenseman to move to forward on Friday night and Poolman paced UND’s furious comeback win with a dynamic two-goal performance. Poolman netted his first on the power play to make it 4-2 and reignited the REA crowd and his second goal, again on the power play, knotted the game at 4-4. From there, the route was on. This freshman has a unique blend of size, skill and scoring touch and his versatility led UND to the win on Friday.

UND senior forward Michael Parks celebrates his third period power play
goal on Friday night. The Green and White were lethal with extra man this past
weekend, going a combined 5-for-8. Photo credit: UND Sports.

No. 2 – UND’s Power Play

After struggling mightily over the last handful of weekends, UND got back on track this weekend going a combined 5-for-8. Freshman Nick Schmaltz makes this unit go and they went all weekend.

No. 3 – Zane McIntyre

What else can be said about this kid? The junior netminder made two huge saves, one with UND still trailing and another while tied on Friday night after coming in cold after a tough start for freshman goaltender Cam Johnson. On Saturday night, McIntyre wasn’t very busy, but kept LSSU at bay, especially during a late push by the Lakers with UND nursing a tenuous 2-1 lead. As McIntyre goes, so goes the Green and White. Two more wins for the all-world North Dakota goalie. 

Honorable mention – LSSU’s Jerseys

Classic and timeless. Great colors and a solid logo. Simply put, those sweaters are a thing of beauty.

Thorns

No. 1 – Injuries

UND has been bitten by the injury bug a lot this year and the Green and White may have had it’s biggest one to date when sophomore defenseman Troy Stetcher went down with a leg injury on Saturday. Arguably UND’s best d-man so far this year, Stetcher went leg first into the boards in the third period and his status is unknown going forward. UND lost St. Clair on Friday as well, but saw Caggiula come back to the ice on Saturday night after missing a large portion of Friday night’s game. Injuries are part of the game, unfortunately, and it’s next man up for the Green and White. 

No. 2 – Cam Johnson

DDC didn’t want to pick on the freshman netminder’s shaky first-career start on Friday, but it showed UND fans a nervous side to life without an experienced backstop. Johnson fought the puck as LSSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead that saw the freshman get yanked, but lucky for UND, they never really lost control of the game. If something were to happen to McIntrye injury-wise for North Dakota, Johnson would be the man running the show. Johnson needs to fix whatever jitters he was plagued with on Friday. Depth at all positions is key to a deep run.

No. 3 – Dumb Penalties

UND kept the Lakers from scoring a power play goal all weekend, however, dumb penalties stymied an early UND comeback just a minute after scoring a huge 3-1 goal on Friday night after a slashing call on Luke Johnson. It didn’t stop the comeback, but those kinds of penalties can’t happen against more talented teams. Saturday night, UND couldn’t get any offense rolling in the first due to penalties. Again, ultimately, it didn’t matter, but this needs to be a point of emphasis going forward.

Check back later this week as DDC takes a look at UND’s series with conference foe and longtime-rival Denver.

Roses and Thorns: A Birthday, a Barn and Some Bounces

NCHC Standings:
1) Miami, 20 points; 2) UMD, 15 pts; 3) UND, 12 pts;
4) DU, 9 pts; 5) UNO, 9 pts; 6) St. Cloud State, 7 pts;
7) Western Michigan, 5 pts; 8) Colorado College, 0 pts

Welcome back to DDC for your second installment of Roses and Thorns.

Another week in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference brought yet another split for UND as they took on No. 16 St. Cloud State at the Herb Brooks Center in St. Cloud.

The Huskies rode the stellar play of their star, Jonny Brodzinski, who netted two goals en route to a 3-1 win on Friday night. UND battled back with an energetic performance on Saturday night and earned the split with a 3-2 win behind two Trevor Olson goals, the first two of the freshman’s career.

Here’s what stood out to DDC this weekend:

Roses

No. 1 – Troy Stecher

Another solid defensive weekend for this budding star. DDC wishes this kid would find the score sheet more often so people could know more about him. He was everywhere this weekend again playing shutdown defense with his partner Gage Ausmus. Stetcher has been nothing but astounding
this year and this weekend was no different.

No. 2 – Trevor Olson

Happy birthday Mr. Olson. The Freshman winger sat out Friday night’s loss and his addition back into the lineup with Bryn Chyzyk going down with an injury sparked a UND win. Olson netted his first two career goals on his 21st birthday and added a physical presence that the Green and White have lacked for much of the year.

No. 3 – Jonny Brodzinski

This kid is a stud. He showed it on Friday night. UND kept him quiet on Saturday and that ultimately got North Dakota the split. A unique blend of size, speed and scoring makes this forward really fun to watch.

No. 4 – Herb Brooks National Hockey Center

DDC had the opportunity to watch UND’s win on Saturday with Mrs. DDC and two friends, and the barn was rocking. There was lots of green in the stands and the small, intimate rink provided an amazing college hockey atmosphere. It doesn’t have Bavarian almonds and the seats aren’t padded, but despite this, DDC will definitely be making this trip again next year.

Thorns

No. 1 – Faceoffs

Yuck. UND got slaughtered in the dots on Friday 22-34, losing key faceoff after key faceoff in the defensive zone. Saturday was much better as senior Mark McMillan was slotted as the top centerman, going 19-14 for the top line. This needs to be a point of focus for North Dakota going forward. The teams in the NCHC are too good to be given opportunities in the offensive zone because of lost faceoffs.

No. 2 – Bad bounces

No excuses for UND on Friday night, but it is of DDC’s opinion that North Dakota was the better team 5-on-5 and a couple of awful bounces off defenders and offensive players a like ended up in the back of the net for the Huskies. These happen and Saturday night provided better bounces for UND, but again, these happen and the Huskies took advantage on Friday.

No. 3 – Missing the net

Too many times this weekend, UND came down on a rush and whistled shots wide that ended up being transition offense for St. Cloud. Hit the net. St. Cloud shot from all over the ice all weekend and created big rebounds that led to offensive chances. UND gets a few of these misses on net on Friday, especially early in the game while they carried the play, and we could be talking sweep for the Green and White.

So, that’s it. Up next, it’s Turkey Day weekend as the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks head to the Ralph for another important NCHC tussle. Come back later this week and DDC will bring you the breakdown.

Roses and Thorns: UND/Miami Split

Welcome back to the DDC and to your first installment of the weekly Roses and Thorns.

In a throwback to his fraternity days, each week, DDC will take a look back at what stood out, both good and bad, from the weekend's series.

How it went down

The split was a safe call as the No. 2 UND and No. 7 Miami faced off this past weekend in Grand Forks, at that's what the Ralph Engelstad Arena faithful saw.

The RedHawks jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in Friday night's tilt and while North Dakota battled back to even the game, Miami finished strong en route to a 3-2 win.

On Saturday, UND came back strong, paced by a three-goal second period, to earn a 4-1 win and a NCHC series split.

And now on to the Roses and Thorns:

Roses

Rose No. 1 -- Troy Stecher

DDC's No. 1 Rose goes to Troy Stetcher. The sophomore blue liner was held off the scoresheet this weekend, but was a key cog defensively for North Dakota against a juggernaut Miami Top 6 forward group. Stetcher brought physicality, speed, playmaking, penalty killing, an active stick and lock down defensive play for 120 minutes and helped to keep an extremely talented team at bay. Is there any doubt this kid wears a letter next year? DDC doesn't think so.

Rose No. 2 -- UND's Top Line

The line of Mark MacMillan, Michael Parks and Drake Caggiula gets DDC second rose. These three had themselves a weekend. MacMillan played his first series in three weeks and netted a goal and two assists, showing little rust from his time off. Caggiula potted three goals, two on Saturday, and added two assists for a five-point weekend. The junior, who scored a shorthanded goal on Friday and a highlight reel goal on Saturday that ended up being the game-winner, now leads the NCHC is scoring. Parks had three points on the weekend and made strong play after strong play on both ends of the ice. Kudos to this line with 11 points on the weekend.

Here's a clip of Caggiula's game-winner. Make sure you pick up your breezers from the ice, Mr. RedHawk defender.

Rose No. 3 -- Zane McIntyre

With the rose No. 3 of the weekend, DDC goes with Zane McIntyre. The junior netminder made some key saves in Saturday night's game before UND's big second period. This guy just flat out gets it done every weekend. Although he has a penchant for a softie here and there, North Dakota would be nothing without this guy between the pipes.

Thorns

Thorn No. 1 -- The Power Play

Although UND netted a PPG for their last goal of the weekend, listless might be an understatement to describe this group on the weekend. Missing dynamic freshman Nick Schmaltz, the power play unit struggled to develop all weekend, going 1-for-8 on the weekend and a paltry 0-for-5 on Friday. Schmaltz has done a lot to command attention on the power play and makes some nifty passes to set plays up. Hopefully, another week of practice will get this unit going.

Thorn No. 2 -- Nick Mattson

The senior defenseman sat on Friday night and was inserted on Saturday night in the search for more offense. As far as DDC's concerned, he could have stayed in the stands. Mattson got destroyed with a hit for what turned about to be a disallowed goal, but nonetheless, a senior cannot let that play happen. He also made a couple of untimely pinches and got beat wide on more than one occasion. The offensive ability is there, but so far this year in DDC's opinion, Mattson has showed nothing that deserves to keep him out there on a nightly basis. Plays like this are unfortunately becoming the norm.

Thorn No. 3 -- Slow Starts

Getting down 2-0 early in the first period against a team as talented Miami simply cannot happen. Although UND battled back to tie it in the second, slow starts and late scrambles has become a slight trend. Saturday night saw a smaller slow start, this time at the beginning of the second period, and it lead to a Miami 1-0 lead. Getting into a routine of playing catch up is something to avoid for North Dakota.

So, that's it. Thanks again for reading and check back later this week as UND travels down I-94 to take on NCHC foe St. Cloud State at the Herb Brooks Center in St. Cloud.